Moldova‘s pro-Western ruling party has beaten out Russia‘s meddling and secured another term in power, winning just over 50% of the vote in Sunday’s parliamentary elections. The result hands the party of President Maia Sandu an outright majority. It shows that even in Europe’s poorest country, where Russian influence has historically been entrenched, voters can reject Moscow’s money, media, and manipulations when given a clear choice.

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT TRUMP’S OCT. 1 TARIFFS ON TRUCKS, FURNITURE, AND PHARMACEUTICALS

Recommended Stories

• ‘Bella Ciao’ — the Italian communist song that inspired Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin
• Democrats opened the door for federal law enforcement  
• Tony Blair's Gaza critics are deluded

The pro-Russian Patriotic Electoral Bloc finished second with about 24%. This was well below expectations given the scale of Russian efforts to sway the outcome. Reports documented millions of euros funneled into Moldovan politics through intermediaries, front organizations, and even criminal networks. Authorities warned that Russia planned to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to influence the elections via vote-buying, transporting diasporan voters, call centers, and fake social media campaigns, including campaigns run by Telegram bots. Moldovan authorities reported that priests were flown to Moscow and given bank cards funded from abroad in exchange for their pushing Kremlin narratives.   

But despite the campaign, the Russian-aligned forces failed. Sandu hailed the result as a national rebuff to Moscow. The Moldovan experience is part of a wider pattern across Eastern Europe. In Romania, candidate Călin Georgescu, seen as Moscow’s favorite, won the first round of the 2024 presidential election before the Constitutional Court annulled the vote over illicit Russian involvement. In the March 2025 rerun, authorities barred him from running again after investigators found his earlier campaign had relied on undeclared funding, digital influence operations, and even, as reports suggest, ex-Wagner mercenaries.

Moldova, however, offers a different lesson. Instead of banning pro-Russian forces, Moldovans confronted them at the ballot box and defeated them. That approach is not only more democratic but also more enduring. Russian narratives will only lose their grip when voters themselves reject them, making electoral victories far stronger than judicial exclusions, however justified. 

It is self-evident that if clear evidence of collusion and wrongdoing arises, prosecution is warranted. But a longer-lasting victory is winning the battle of ideas and votes. 

DEMOCRATS DECRY COMEY INDICTMENT AFTER PRAISING CASES AGAINST TRUMP: ‘NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW’

Russian narratives continue to resonate with parts of the Moldovan electorate, especially in poorer rural areas and among those with deep ties to Russia. Moscow plays on nostalgia, cultural affinity, and fears of economic disruption if Moldova turns fully to Europe. Moldova continues to struggle with economic hardship, mass emigration, low incomes, and neglected infrastructure. Countering Russia’s appeals requires political leaders who can connect with citizens and show tangible improvements in their lives.

Sandu and Moldovans have done their part. Now, it falls to Europe to help and deliver on the promise of a more prosperous European path. If Brussels fails here, disillusionment is surely to follow.